The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
The Silk Roads: A New History of the World
It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures, and religions, and it was the appetites for foreign goods that drove economies and the growth of nations. From the first cities in Mesopotamia to the emergence of Greece and Rome to the depredations by the Mongols, the transmission of the Black Death, the struggles of the Great Game, and the fall of Communism - the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East. By way of events as disparate as the American Revolution and the world wars of the 20th century, Peter Frankopan realigns the world, orienting us eastward and illuminating how even the rise of the West 500 years ago resulted from its efforts to gain access to and control of these Eurasian trading networks. In an increasingly globalized planet, where current events in Asia and the Middle East dominate the world's attention, this magnificent work of history is very much a work of our times.
- ASIN: B01B6OC1J6
- Manufacturer: HighBridge, a Division of Recorded Books
The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All ... the GreatestRescue Mission of World War II
The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the Greatest Rescue Mission of World War II: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All ... the GreatestRescue Mission of World War II
- ASIN: B001UID8DM
- Brand: Dutton Caliber
- Manufacturer: Dutton Caliber
A Short History of Nearly Everything
A Short History of Nearly Everything
- ASIN: B0000U7N00
- Manufacturer: Books on Tape
The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great
The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great
America has a God-shaped hole in its heart, argues New York Times best-selling author Ben Shapiro, and we shouldn't fill it with politics and hate. In 2016, Ben Shapiro spoke at UC Berkeley. Hundreds of police officers were required from 10 UC campuses across the state to protect his speech, which was - ironically - about the necessity for free speech and rational debate. He came to argue that Western civilization is in the midst of a crisis of purpose and ideas. Our freedoms are built upon the twin notions that every human being is made in God's image and that human beings were created with reason capable of exploring God's world. We can thank these values for the birth of science, the dream of progress, human rights, prosperity, peace, and artistic beauty. Jerusalem and Athens built America, ended slavery, defeated the Nazis and the Communists, lifted billions from poverty, and gave billions spiritual purpose. Jerusalem and Athens were the foundations of the Magna Carta and the Treaty of Westphalia; they were the foundations of the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Civilizations that rejected Jerusalem and Athens have collapsed into dust. The USSR rejected Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, substituting a new utopian vision of "social justice" - and they starved and slaughtered tens of millions of human beings. The Nazis rejected Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, and they shoved children into gas chambers. Venezuela rejects Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, and citizens of their oil-rich nation have been reduced to eating dogs. We are in the process of abandoning Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, favoring instead moral subjectivism and the rule of passion. And we are watching our civilization collapse into age-old tribalism, individualistic hedonism, and moral subjectivism. We believe we can reject Judeo-Christia... [Read More]
- ASIN: B07NPVGXCQ
- Manufacturer: HarperAudio
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity's creation and evolution - a number one international best seller - that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be "human". One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one - Homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago, with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas. Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because, over the last few decades, humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become? This provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.
- ASIN: B0741F3M7C
- Manufacturer: HarperAudio
The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel
The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel
- ASIN: B0756DZ4C1
- Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident
In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously on an elevation known as Dead Mountain. Eerie aspects of the incident-unexplained violent injuries, signs that they cut open and fled the tent without proper clothing or shoes, a strange final photograph taken by one of the hikers, and elevated levels of radiation found on some of their clothes-have led to decades of speculation over what really happened. This gripping work of literary nonfiction delves into the mystery through unprecedented access to the hikers' own journals and photographs, rarely seen government records, dozens of interviews, and the author's retracing of the hikers' fateful journey in the Russian winter. A fascinating portrait of the young hikers in the Soviet era, and a skillful interweaving of the hikers narrative, the investigators' efforts, and the author's investigations, here for the first time is the real story of what happened that night on Dead Mountain.
- ASIN: B00IO4L86Y
- Manufacturer: Audible Studios
Salt: A World History
Salt: A World History
- ASIN: B00BPDN33W
- Manufacturer: Penguin Books
The Other America - A Speech from The Radical King (Free)
The Other America - A Speech from The Radical King (Free)
In a rousing speech on race, poverty, and economic justice - given less than a year before his assassination - Martin Luther King Jr. drives home the mission behind his Poor People's Campaign. It is a clear-eyed look at the disparity of wealth in America, what it means for people of all colors - and a message of inspiration dedicated to the power of the people. "And I say, if we will stand and work together, we will bring into being that day when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. We will bring into being that day when America will no longer be two nations but when it will be one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Wanda Sykes' powerful performance delivers King's compassion, outrage, insight, and vulnerability like few others could - and reminds us all of the relevance his words still have today. "The Other America" is one of 23 speeches and essays from The Radical King, curated by Dr. Cornel West, including words never recorded in public - a revelation for his legacy. The Martin Luther King Estate has allowed, for the first time, a dramatic interpretation of King's words, by some of the most charismatic and activist actors working today: LeVar Burton, Mike Colter, Colman Domingo, Danny Glover, Gabourey Sidibe, Wanda Sykes, and Michael Kenneth Williams. "The Other America" excerpt from The Radical King is free of charge to all listeners until Monday, April 2, 2018. To preorder the full, revealing collection, visit www.audible.com/TheRadicalKing.
- ASIN: B0799RYWSM
- Manufacturer: Audible Studios
Before We Were Yours: A Novel
Before We Were Yours: A Novel
THE BLOCKBUSTER HIT—A New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly BestsellerFor readers of Orphan Train and The Nightingale comes a “thought-provoking [and] complex tale about two families, two generations apart . . . based on a notorious true-life scandal.”*Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty. Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption. Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.*Library JournalPublishers Weekly’s #3 Longest-Running Bestseller of 2017 • Winner of the Southern Book Prize • If All Arkansas Read the Same Book Selection “A... [Read More]
- ASIN: B01M14UN1J
- Brand: Ballantine Books
- Manufacturer: Ballantine Books